Over to Rahul Dravid, India appoints former captain as coach

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, November 3

Former India captain Rahul Dravid has been appointed as the new head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. He will take over from Ravi Shastri from the upcoming series against New Zealand that starts from November 17.

“It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team and I am really looking forward to this role,” Dravid said in a statement released by the BCCI today. “Under Mr Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward,” he added.

“Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential,” the former India skipper added.

Dravid, who was the favourite to take up the position, and was first approached by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly to take the reins of the senior team, only applied for the coach’s position last week.

Dravid’s appointment was made formal by the BCCI after the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sulakshana Naik and RP Singh unanimously recommended his name for the head coach’s position. The BCCI had formally invited applications for the position on October 26.

Dravid has previously worked as the coach with the India A and India Under-19 teams. Under him, the U-19 team won the 2018 World Cup.

He was also made the head coach for the Sri Lanka series, where the team was captained by Shikhar Dhawan. The series was being held simultaneously with the senior team’s tour of England.

Ganguly said Dravid’s appointment would take the team to greater heights.

“Rahul has had an illustrious playing career and is one of the greats of the game. He has also served Indian cricket as Head of National Cricket Academy (NCA) with distinction. Rahul’s effort at the NCA has nurtured several young cricketing talents who have gone on to represent the country at the international stage. I am hopeful that his new stint will take Indian cricket to new heights,” Ganguly said.

The BCCI thanked Shastri and his support staff for making the team fearless. “The Board congratulates Mr Shastri (former Team Director & Head Coach), Mr B. Arun (Bowling Coach), Mr R. Sridhar (Fielding Coach) and Mr Vikram Rathour (Batting Coach) on a successful tenure. Under Shastri, the Indian Cricket Team adopted a bold and fearless approach and performed creditably both in home and away conditions. India climbed to the top position in the Test format and made it to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in England,” the BCCI said in the same release.